Wednesday, 17 March 2010

It’s not about image

I am sure many will agree that our country tends to hit the limelight for the wrong reason. From burning of churches to statements by Australian MPs to bad coverage in recognised international media to purchase of non-dive-able submarine… certainly, this is not going to give our country a good image, no?

I observed one thing… the immediate reaction of people to this “bad image” is that, we will lose out on foreign investments. We-can-kiss-investors-goodbye… No-one-will-want-to-do-business-here… direct-foreign-investments-will-hit-another-low… such are the usual rhetoric.Is it true? Will investors shy away from a country because the country has got a bad image?

No entirely accurate…

I am not saying that I am a high flying corporate figure with tonnes of business experience and information. But, being in an industry with a significant international dominance has given the opportunity to see that the decision for corporations to invest in a particular country depends on 2 major reasons…

Money… and… potential opportunity to make money…

The business world does not give a damn whether the country is burning churches or severed cow head is being dragged along the road or whether someone died because he was thrown out of a building. Honestly, they don’t give a shit about it.

All they care is whether there is avenue to make money. They will only be driven away if there is an interruption in their profit making mechanism. Really, it’s just as simple as that.

So next time, if you see some major international newspaper doing a coverage about so and so are being forced to admit so and so screwing his asshole or so and so asked “Can I fuck you today” or some submarines unable to dive thus putting the nation to massive embarrassment and you think this will affect foreign direct investments… thinking again…

What then, are the things that will severely damage the profit making mechanism and stop all these so called modern-colonial-power known as “investors” from coming here?

Well, why don’t you do some thinking? I cant be telling you everything all the time right?

Naj is giving a talk to entice foreign investors to invest in Msia, esp in stocks and shares, at the end of this month. That's also one of the few reasons why certain counters esp bank shares prices have been rising in last weeks as well.

Corporations will mainly worry about making $$$ and how fast they can make the $$$.

You're right, no big shot CEO really cares about burning churches, if they can do big business. That's why there's tons of foreign corporations in Nigeria and Kongo, two countries full of racial and religious clashes, but they have oil and diamonds and that means money, even if local people suffer. It's an effed up world and it won't change any time soon. Maybe in 2012? :)

Oh well... Zwet... Was debating with my socialist commi chinese colleague the other day about human rights and all those shit. She being the ultimate convert to Capitalism told me that she doesn't really care about what China does as long as it make money and money talks. Money is everything even if it screw people over. You think western countries care about the workers? No. They care about PROFITS.

Megacorporations love profit, and they noe how to get it, ie investing in a country tat is corrupted. These mega guys noe if da politicians are corrupted, dey noe dey can get away with cheap labour/child labor etc etc....hey even Malaysian bisnisman do dis sorta thing in tat country...wats it call....papua new guinea rite...some timber tycoons colluding with some politician to rape da ppl n their forest....Am i rite or am i rite?

MKL - that's right nino. congo is one of the worst country to be in at the moment, but ppl are still going in cause there's plenty of money to be made.

Dangerous variable - the difference between the chinese and the west... the chinese doesnt care about ppl and they will be proud to admit and show it. the west... they dont care but will do things to show as though they care.

InjusticeSistem - you are right... as always haha...

Jennifer - secretly, some of them might work for them.

Ah Siang - haha... yeah, some corruption actually helps business.

Crankster - not just wages... make sure the citizens remain stupid and uneducated.